Starcraft II: The Hybrid General
by zcdragon64
Summary: The creation of the hybrid alone was an achievement. However, there was something that surpassed expectations. A hybrid that could serve as a leader for the other, seemingly mindless creations across the galaxy. This hybrid wasn't just Protoss and Zerg like the others. This one held Terran and a fourth as well. With this combination, just how dangerous is this hybrid?
1. Prologue

**(OK, everyone. This idea has been sitting in my head for over a year now, and I need to get it out there. I refuse to let this just sit there in the back of my mind any longer. It is starting to get annoying. So, please enjoy. If there is something wrong with it, like something I missed or got wrong or something like that, let me know. As for our starting point, it's just after Zeratul first discovered the hybrid near the end of Brood War. There are spoilers in here, so if you don't already know this, don't read it. You need to have already beaten LotV to read this. That's how many spoilers there are.)**

Prologue:

After arriving on the dark moon, Zeratul had seen with his own eyes Protoss and Zerg alike trapped in stasis cells. They were exposed to a series of tests and experiments for years now, and signs of stopping were nonexistent. However, there was still one last cell Zeratul needed to see. In a way, he had hoped it would be Artanis in there, yet also not. He was afraid his friend had been subjected to what the others had been exposed to. But he would also be overjoyed to see his friend again, even if that were the case. He did pray it wasn't like that though.

The last cell had been very well guarded. The Terran had bunkers at the entrances, missile turrets close behind the perimeter, and men close to everything. Even so, Zeratul had his own forces ready. More than half of them had been taken from the Terran through mind control, thanks to his dark archons. He had taken siege tanks, science vessels, and even a couple of battle-cruisers. Along with the forces he brought, he knew he would be able to break through if he played his part right.

The battle-cruisers were the first to attack. Utilizing their yamato cannons, they easily destroyed 2 bunkers, and a missile turret. The siege tanks moved forward, and took their position just in front of the battle-cruisers. They switched over into siege mode, and started blowing everything in front of them. The enemy decided to take the offensive, and charged out towards them. Unfortunately, that would be a big mistake. Once they were out of range of their nearby detectors, Zeratul struck, and they fell with one swift blow. But Zeratul wasn't everywhere at once. The enemy got close enough to begin shooting. The tanks were taking damage a bit too quickly. By the time Zeratul ended the last one, one tank had fallen, and another severely damaged. The battle-cruisers had moved again, and began blasting everything in sight. Every enemy within the base had started rushing out there to try and stop them. Zeratul, using this distraction, slipped past them and made his way to the last stasis cell. When he got there, what he saw was nothing he would have ever expected.

"I've never seen a subject like this before." He said.

"Test subject 29 classified. Protoss-Zerg hybrid in perfect cryo-hybernation. Psionic emanations minimal." The computer explained when Zeratul got close.

"No." He said. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" A dark voice asked. Zeratul started looking all around, but didn't see where the voice was coming from.

"What? Who are you?" He asked.

"I've had many name throughout the millenia, young prodigal. You will know me best as Samir Duran." The voice continued.

"Kerrigan's consort. Is this part of her twisted schemes?" Zeratul asked, with a slight amount of venom in his voice.

"No. Young Kerrigan could not have engineered this grand experiment. Although her rebirth into the Zerg Swarm has sped up my progress, I can assure you that this endeavor is quite beyond her narrow understanding." Duran explained.

"If you are not her pawn, then what are you?" Zeratul asked, starting to get a little angry with what he was looking at in the stasis cell.

"I am a servant of a far greater power. A power that has slept for countless ages, and is reflected in the creature in that cell." Duran said.

"Have you any conception of what you've created here?! Do you have any idea what this – this hybrid is capable of?!" Zeratul almost shouted.

"Of course I do. This creature is the completion of a cycle. It's role in the cosmic order was preordained when the stars were young. Behold the culmination of your history." Duran said with pride.

"All I behold is an abomination." Zeratul said in disgust.

"Your violence, young prodigal, is typical. As is your inability to comprehend the greater scheme of things. You can destroy all of the specimens here. It will do you no good. For I have seeded the Hybrid on many, many worlds. You will never find them all before they awaken... And when they do... your universe will be changed... forever." Duran finished. Zeratul could no longer listen to this. He was furious that his brethren were used to create this creature, but now he was terrified. Duran had intentionally created this hybrid, knowing the destruction it could cause.

With that, Zeratul felt he had no choice now. Igniting his psi-blade once more, he attacked the stasis cell, and killed the hybrid inside. Even if the fight had ended while he was speaking to Duran, he felt as if he could still hear the screams of death loud in his ears. He felt his heart pounding in his new-found fear. He didn't know what to do with this knowledge, now that he had it. He started to simply walk away with thoughts of the future flooding his mind. He wondered what would become of his brethren if this was allowed to continue. But he also knew trying to destroy the hybrid would prove to be futile. Seeing as how he only stumbled on this one by complete accident, he doubt he could find others. Not to mention that if there were truly as many as Duran said there were, then he would only be wasting his energy for nothing. He wondered if it was truly hopeless to even think of stopping this.

As he walked, the mind controlled Terran started to lose consciousness. Their minds were unable to handle the strain the dark archons put on them. The Protoss forces that came with Zeratul followed him back as he kept moving. However, if Zeratul had stayed, he would have noticed Duran is much closer than he previously believed.

Below the stasis cell Zeratul destroyed was another laboratory. This lab is where hybrid experiments took place on the planet. The surface was only used for holding cells. The subjects within those cells would have been dragged underground for tests at a later date if they weren't already. Inside this underground lab was another hybrid Duran was developing. But for some reason, this one was different. It was believed to be something more. It held not just Protoss and Zerg DNA, but it also held Terran DNA. Yet, it was still incomplete. Although when it reached completion, it would appear Terran, it would be far more powerful, and serve as another loyal hybrid warrior. That is what Duran was seeking to achieve, but something was just missing. He had sent out teams of men to try and find this missing piece. They had been gone for almost a full year now, and still had to come up with results.

"The fool cannot comprehend what we have started here. What he has seen is only the beginning. It will take time, but the hybrid will be complete before too long. And all things will know their power." Duran said to no one in particular. He looked at his hybrid once more. "I will wait centuries more if I must, but we will finish our work here."

"Sir. The team you sent out has finally contacted us. They wish to speak with you. They believe they have found something." One of the many scientists said.

"Very well. Patch them through." Duran ordered. The scientist did as he was told. Duran walked to the communications room, and stood there waiting for his message. He only had to wait 1 minute for his team to reach him.

"Sir." The man said.

"Have you found something we could use?" Duran asked him.

"I believe so, sir. We have found a planet that is filled with Zerg." He said.

"Zerg? We already have more than enough Zerg to experiment with." Duran said.

"Sir, I'm afraid you don't understand. These Zerg are different. They are not like any other creature I have seen so far." The man added. This intrigued Duran, if only for a moment.

"Go on." He told the man.

"These Zerg seem to grow stronger after defeating an enemy. It would seem they are similar to wild animals, but once they catch their prey and consume it, they change." The man explained.

"How so?" Duran asked.

"They grow in strength, sometimes in size, and sometimes in appearance as well. They are capable of evolution and adaptation on a level far higher than any other creature I've seen. They are capable of a lot on their own. Perhaps we could add them to our experiments. If our hybrid had this same ability, then with each victory, they would become stronger, faster, and more powerful in every way. What do you think, sir?" The man finished. Duran thought about this for a moment. These Zerg are capable of more than any ordinary Zerg, and a chance like this may never present itself again. However, it sounded a bit too good to be true. If they were capable of so much, then why hadn't they known about them sooner?

"Bring me a few specimens. I would like to see them for myself. Keep them alive for now. If what you're telling me is true, then perhaps we have found our missing piece for our hybrid here." Duran ordered.

"Understood. We'll do our best." The man said. Then, the communication was shut down. Duran walked out, and back to look at his hybrid. It had yet to take form, but the DNA strands were ready. Everything was ready to create this warrior, but progress was continually delayed because of their situation. Duran wanted something more for his creation. A hybrid with a human appearance alone would be able to do much more, but that just wasn't enough. But Duran suspected he may have already something about these Zerg.

"Perhaps Amon did not change all of the Zerg as he had planned to. No matter. They will be put to good use. If they are capable of what he seen from them, it will only make our hybrid experiment even stronger." Duran said to no one in particular. He knew that if this worked, his hybrid would be stronger than he thought possible, and nearly impossible to detect as well. But there were several complications with this one specimen alone. Then there was the fact that it wasn't ready to begin forming yet. Additional specimens may add to those complications. Duran was aware of this, and silently hoped that this would work at least once, if nothing else.

6 months later:

The hybrid experiment has progressed, but not a much as Duran had hoped it would. Many of the issues they ran into had been solved, but there were still far to many of them to begin. Not to mention the man who contacted Duran back then had yet to return, or even report. With everything happening the way it was, Duran was stressed, and very irritable. In this time, he nearly killed almost all of his scientists several times over. He wanted to complete the experiment, and finish the hybrid. At this point, he was willing to do anything to get the results he wanted.

He knew it would be a challenge to create a hybrid like this, but he didn't realize it would be this difficult. An ordinary hybrid alone was difficult to forge, but they had already figured that out. Even then, it still took time to ensure the hybrid was stable. This creation that Duran had designed was another category of challenges in itself. Nothing but useless equations and hypothesis upon hypothesis as to how to work around one issue before moving on to the next. Countless simulations and smaller experiment to test the bonding process of the different DNA strands, and they were still not finished. All of this and more is what stressed out Duran to this point.

As he makes his way to the laboratory to check progress on his hybrid once again, he starts glaring at every person he passes by. Naturally, they back away from him out of fear. They knew that he could, and would, kill them in a heartbeat anytime he wanted. They also knew better than to get in his way when he was like this. It wasn't the first time either.

"How is our hybrid coming along?" Duran asked as soon as the door opened.

"We've been making progress, sir." One of the scientists said. Duran walked closer to him, and looked at the data in front of him. A lot had changed, and everything looked a bit more solid. "It would appear that any snags in our research have stopped for a while. Our pace has quickened quite a bit recently. At this rate, we may be done a little ahead of schedule." He finished. Duran let a small smile creep onto his face.

"Excellent work. Perhaps now, we will obtain the results needed for our hybrid." Duran said, finally feeling some of his stress fade away with that one piece of news. This calm moment of his was not to last, as a marine walked through the door.

"Sir. The team you sent has returned not even a few minutes ago. They asked to see you as soon as possible." The marine said. Duran turned, and walked right past him, as if he didn't even slightly matter. Duran made his way above ground, where his team was waiting for him. As soon as he saw them, he also saw the creatures in cages, fighting to get free. He noticed that they truly did resemble the Zerg everyone knew, yet at the same time, they were very different.

"Sir." A marine said as Duran began to approach. "We have captured as many specimens as we could afford. We lost quite a few good men in the process, but I believe it was well worth it, considering what we caught." He added. Duran almost didn't pay attention to the marine. Instead, he mostly stared at the creatures before him, and how many there were. There wasn't a lot of them, but there was more than enough for experimentation.

"Impressive. You and your team have done well. You may go now. I will send others to bring these creatures to the lab down below." Duran told the marine.

"Yes, sir." The marine said to Duran. He then turned to what remained of his team. "Alright, boys. We're done here. Take a break, and await further instructions." The marine ordered his troops. They all stopped what they were doing almost immediately, and began to march down below. The marine Duran addressed soon followed them.

"You know, I thought your kind went extinct after Amon's plans had begun so long ago. Perhaps your survival was a good thing after all. Now we can put your DNA to good use for our hybrid." Duran said to the caged creature in front of him. It roared in his face, leaving a few strands of drool on him. Duran didn't even flinch when it did this, and wiped it off using his sleeve. He then smirked at the creature, and started walking back down to the lab.

1 year later:

"The calculations are complete. We are ready to begin synthesizing our hybrid." One scientist said. Duran was there, watching them as they continued their work. Ever since these seemingly unknown creatures were brought to the lab, the scientists had to re-work almost every single calculation, hypothesis, DNA combinations, and so on. Duran had given them a very difficult task, but he didn't care. All he wanted at this point was to see his work completed.

"Excellent. You may begin at any time." Duran said, proud that they had achieved what he had asked of them.

"Yes, sir! We'll begin right away, with your permission." The scientist said.

"Granted." Duran said, nodding at the same time. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, this hybrid would finally be made. The scientists started inputting their data, and a stasis cell further below the surface was activated. All of the DNA collected would finally result in Duran's greatest creation. A hybrid, unlike any other, will soon emerge.

2 years later:

Duran had just disappeared, but in his place stood a man named Doctor Emil Narud. No one really knew why Duran just stepped away like he did, or how he even managed to. However, Dr. Narud was recommended by Duran to take over. With this in mind, no one questioned it. Narud, as a fellow scientist and researcher, did everything he could to speed up the process of finishing the hybrid. Its form was complete. All that was really needed was to wake it up, and therein lies a huge risk.

This hybrid isn't like any other creation beforehand. How it will react is unpredictable, and it could very well destroy the facility. Everyone was terrified to go anywhere near it. Some because of its power, others because of the fact that it's a hybrid, and a few that say it reminds them of Kerrigan. Everyone, except for Narud.

Narud stood up from his spot in the lab, and made his way to the elevator. He got inside, hit the button, and descended into the place where the stasis cell holding the hybrid was kept. As the elevator went down, Narud just couldn't wait to see this hybrid. This would be the first time he has seen is with his own eyes. He began to imagine what it looked like. Before he could get a clear picture though, the elevator stopped. Narud opened the door, and walked straight towards it. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at first.

This hybrid certainly had a humanoid form as was intended. This hybrid was male, young, and looked to be a promising specimen. The armor-like carapace that served as his skin truly did resemble Kerrigan's own Zerg form somewhat. His legs bent as if he were a Protoss. He had grown a tail similar to a Hydralisk. He had wings like Kerrigan, but his were smaller. Not by much, but they still were. They were also between his shoulder blades, and had skin between the bones, similar to bat wings, or Mutalisk wings. That, and he had 4 instead of just 2. At the top of each wing was a sharp claw just like those of a Zergling. His fingertips had extended into claws as well. These were far sharper than any other Zerg claw. Each claw went almost 2 feet long, but could easily be retracted, and completely concealed. His face had the same sort of mandible mask a Hydralisk had. His face was human, save for that one detail, so he didn't look disfigured. This mask covered his mouth and nose perfectly. There was a nearly invisible line in his skin from his bottom lip down to his chin, reaching even further and barely stopping once it reached his neck. This meant his jaw could split in 2. His hair was currently the same as Kerrigan's, but only shorter, and flowed a bit more freely. It reached down as low as his eyes, but didn't completely cover them. His eyes were still closed, so nobody knew how they looked, or what color they were.

Narud smiled once he took in this creation. He didn't expect anything like this. So simple, yet far more powerful than it appeared to be at a mere glance. Narud moved closer to the stasis cell, and began one last analysis on the hybrid inside before awakening it.

"Test subject 13Z currently in stasis. Psionic emanations moderate and increasing. Current condition is stabilized. DNA sequences show Protoss, Zerg, Terran, and unknown DNA strands." The computer stated. The number of experiments they created was great. Experiments 1-100 all ended in failure, then experiments 1A-100A were the same, and so on. So far, 13Z was the only one that remained stable and intact. As for why so many in only 2 years, that is only because most of them didn't make it past the first stage of creation.

Narud started typing on the computer in front of the stasis cell, and began the process of waking it up. The stasis cell began to lose power, and the hybrid fidgeted a little from this. Narud was about to open the cell, until he heard growling. He looked away from the computer, and back at the hybrid. He saw 13Z was fidgeting a lot. Then, its hands suddenly tensed up, and the claws scratched the cell from inside. Its wings began to fold, and the claws looked ready to pierce something. Finally, its eyes shot open, yet Narud didn't flinch.

Its eyes were just like that of a Zergling. No white in its eyes at all. There was only a glowing blood red, and a vertical slit for its pupil. It stared at Narud for a moment, and wondered where and what it was. Narud knew 13Z would have questions, seeing as it is part Terran, and waited for it to ask, should it actually decide to do so. But 13Z said nothing, and only stared straight ahead. Now, even Narud was starting to feel a bit unnerved by this. Finally, Narud saw 13Z raise its right hand, and he backed away almost immediately. His guess was correct, as 13Z went to impale Narud, and its arm shot through the cell as if it was nothing. Narud knew he would have been killed if he hadn't moved. 13Z would have ripped out his heart, seeing where those claws ended. The alarm began to blare, and Narud made his way to the elevator. The last thing he saw before the door closed was 13Z ripping apart the stasis cell with all of its claws, including the ones on its wings.

The elevator began going straight up to the top. The alarm kept blaring and everyone was beginning to panic. They knew 13Z was awake. They were trying to evacuate, or rather, trying to survive. However, halfway to the surface of the dark moon, the elevator suddenly stopped, and the electricity went out as well. Narud moved around, looking at his options for an exit. All he saw was the door in front of him, and the emergency exit above him. He was about to open the door, until he heard something on the other side. He leaned against the door, and listened.

"13Z cut the power!" The first man said.

"What?! How?!" The second man asked, clearly panicking.

"That hybrid is smarter than he looks, considering it only woke up a few minutes ago. Find it, and kill it!" The third man said. Then, they all heard a hiss. It sounded like a Hydralisk was close by, but they all knew better. 13Z was close by, and Narud heard it as well.

"It's close!" The second man nearly shouted.

"Damn! Safeties off! Shoot to kill!" The first man ordered. Narud had a feeling those men were dead, and stopped listening. He went for the emergency exit above him, and climbed up to the top of the elevator. He grabbed the doors leading to the next floor, and opened them only a little bit. However, the door was opened the rest of the way by a couple marines.

"Come on!" One of them said, holding his hand out for Narud to grab. Narud did just that, and let the marine pull him up. "That hybrid is tearing away at the facility. It's already made quite a bit of progress at that. Our only hope is to leave the planet while we still can." He continued.

"This hybrid has exceeded my expectations. I suppose it was a foolish thing to hope it would awaken peacefully." Narud said.

"It's not your fault, sir. Let's just get out of here." The marine finished. Narud nodded. Before any of them moved, they all heard screaming from down below. Narud already knew what that was. 13Z had found its prey. Knowing it was just beneath their feet, they all ran as fast as they could to the nearest set of stair, hoping to reach the surface before 13Z.

Beneath where Narud and the others were, the 3 marines were all standing back to back. They were waiting for 13Z to show itself, so they could shoot it right away. Their guard was always up, but they didn't realize they were already dead. 13Z was using its claws to crawl across the ceiling. Slowly, and silently, 13Z made its way directly above the 3 marines. 13Z hissed again, and the marines nearly jumped at how close he sounded. Their fingers were almost squeezing the triggers, nearly prematurely firing a few bullets into the walls. 13Z hissed once more, and the marines started shooting down the halls.

When they stopped, the first marine went down one hallway to see if he hit anything. The second marine had the same idea, and went down a different hall. The third marine was terrified, and couldn't move. 13Z moved just a little closer, and dropped down in front of him. The marine let out a short scream, and pointed his gun almost immediately. He shot at 13Z, but the bullets just dented its skin, before just falling to the ground. When he ran out of ammo, he only saw that he did absolutely nothing to it. 13Z only stared at him, reading his mind, and stealing whatever intelligence the man held.

The marine was paralyzed with fear. 13Z walked up to him slowly, and just stared him straight in the eye. For a moment, the eyes of 13Z changed, and looked human. The only thing that reminded the marine of what they looked like before was the irises of its eyes. They were still that intimidating blood red. Then, 13Z quickly rammed the claws on his left hand through the man's throat, the claws on his right hand through his head, and his wings claws into the center of his chest almost at the same time, signifying it was done with him. The marine couldn't even scream in pain. He saw the eyes of 13Z once more before he died. They had returned to their normal state.

The other 2 came back, and saw 13Z and their companion impaled on its claws. They looked at each other, then back at 13Z. It looked at the other 2 men, and threw the corpse at their feet. In their new-found rage, they began shooting at 13Z. They only met with the same results as their companion did. 13Z began walking over to them. For every step they took back, 13Z took 2 steps forward. As soon as they ran out of bullets, 13Z was standing right in front of them. It didn't even bother looking into their minds, and jammed 2 of its wing claws into the first marine's throat. He tried to scream in pain, but only gurgling noises came out as he began to slowly choke on his own blood. The second marine pulled out a knife, and put every ounce of strength he had into stabbing the hybrid in the head. 13Z saw this, and grabbed the man's arm with one hand. Then, it twisted his arm, and used its free hand to cut off his entire arm. His screams were heard throughout the entire facility. He dropped to his knees, and clutched socket where his arm used to be. He looked up at 13Z once more, then passed out from both the blood loss and the pain. 13Z knew he wasn't dead, and went to finish the job. It used its tail, and sent it through the marine's head. It pulled it back out, and ran off down some random hallway.

Narud and the others with him at that time had heard the entire situation, since it happened just beneath their feet. Narud was only impressed at how easily 13Z handled everything, yet also terrified as well. The others were only scared out of their minds of what 13Z was capable of. Narud knew this was only some of its physical capabilities. It had yet to unleash it's Psionic abilities.

This hybrid was created for the sole purpose of acting as a leader for the other hybrid scattered across the galaxy. Not only that, but the potential of 13Z was greater than even Kerrigan's power. If 13Z had a second purpose, it was as a means to end Kerrigan for good. It was these sort of thoughts that plagued the minds of everyone in the facility. With fear as their motivator, they continued running for the surface, desperately trying to survive and see tomorrow. But with every scream, every shot that was fired, and every corpse now laying on the ground bloodying the floors and walls, 13Z was only getting closer. From its actions, it was clear that 13Z would not be stopping anytime soon. Everyone knew this as well, and wouldn't stop for anything. Men, friends, and even brothers and sisters were abandoned because of this fear taking hold. And those who were abandoned were added to the list of prey 13Z has claimed, and utterly ripped apart. The last thing they all saw were those piercing, blood red eyes that just seemed to look directly into your heart, mind, and soul before ripping them all out.

Narud, another scientist, 3 marines, and a ghost were soon all that were left. 13Z had killed all the others within minutes, and its hunt was still not complete. They were only 1 floor away from reaching the surface, but 13Z was very close behind them. Whenever they rounded a corner, the man in the back caught a brief glimpse of 13Z coming down the hallway they just ran down. It was following them, and it was getting closer with each passing second.

"We're almost there! Just a little farther to the stairs!" The ghost shouted. He turned around to look at the others, but didn't expect a certain sight. 13Z was only inches directly behind them. "Move!" He added. The others started sprinting, but the ghost stayed behind. 13Z didn't try to chase the others. It stared at the ghost standing in front of it. The ghost did the same at first, but that quickly changed. He reached for his belt, and pulled a grenade off. Then, he threw it at 13Z. It looked at the grenade, then it exploded right in front of its face. The ghost thought he killed the hybrid, but when the smoke cleared, he saw he was very wrong. 13Z was still standing, as if nothing happened. However, it now had some burn marks on it. They was small and scattered, but they were still there. Those burns healed almost right away, and 13Z tilted its head to the side.

"Is that it?" 13Z spoke for the first time. "Is that really all you got? I expected more out of you Terran. Guess that was just wishful thinking." The ghost just stood there, dumbfounded that 13Z actually said something. 13Z then moved directly in front of the ghost, grabbed him by the head, and held him up in the air. The mandibles covering its face moved to the side, revealing its mouth. Then, the bottom jaw split in 2, and the ghost stared in fear, not knowing what was going to happen next. Finally, 13Z bite down hard on the ghost's neck, ripped off a chuck of flesh from his body, and swallowed it whole without a second thought or hesitation. The ghost screamed, but only for a few seconds, before death claimed him as well. With him gone, 13Z pressed on.

Narud, and the others were now running up the stairs. They were all so close to the surface, that they were practically racing to be the first one to get there. With their current situation, that wasn't too far from the truth. But before any of them could even think about what became of the their fellow ghost, one of the 3 marines was suddenly grabbed, and thrown off the stairs. He landed nearly an entire floor down, and ended up in so much pain from that alone, that he could hardly move. The others called out to him, but he couldn't hear them at the time. He could only hear his heart pounding, and feel the amount of pain he was in.

He turned his head to the side, and saw 13Z slowly walking over to him. The others saw 13Z, and left the marine there to die in their desperation to survive. 13Z placed its foot on the marines head, and started applying pressure. Eventually, 13Z had flattened the man's head, crushing his skull and everything inside. 13Z looked up and moved for the surface, knowing that's where the others were going.

Narud and what remained of the men had at last made it to the surface, where a drop-ship awaited them. There were 2 marines, and 2 ghosts guarding the ship, in case 13Z got there before them. They ran straight into the drop-ship, but looked back, and saw 13Z closing in on them. The men guarding the ship started shooting at it immediately, but that didn't slow down 13Z in the slightest. It changed direction, and closed in on the men. The drop-ship started to rise off the ground during this time. With all entrances and exits closed off, the guardsmen were to be left behind, while the others escaped. While 13Z was busy killing the guards, the drop-ship had begun to get some distance from it.

13Z charged the first man in the meantime. The man backed away from it, but 13Z only drew closer at a very quick pace. The very second 13Z was within range, it reached out with its claws, and cut the man's gun in half. He stood there for a brief moment, trying to process what it just did. But that brief moment was just that: brief. 13Z, in that moment, impaled that man with the claws on its right hand. The claws went in-between the bones, and around the heart. The man looked at where he was impaled, and began to wonder why he didn't die right then and there. The others stood there, afraid for their comrade and curious as to what was now happening. Before the man could look back up at 13Z, it retracted its claws, gripped the man's heart, and literally tore it out of his chest. The man dropped dead, and the others screamed in horror and disgust. 13Z stared at the organ in its hand for a moment, then swallowed it whole.

The others quickly shifted from sickly looks to fury and rage seconds after 13Z murdered the man. They began to shoot as if there was truly no tomorrow. But they got the surprise of their lives when the bullets actually stopped inches away from hitting 13Z. The men looked on in shock, and fear gripped them once more. The bullets had a feint glow matching the eye color of 13Z. It looked at them with a bored expression on its face. It even moved the mandibles away from its mouth and nose to show the men the expression.

"Do you really believe anything you do will make a difference?" 13Z asked them. "Everything shall turn to eternal darkness. This is only the beginning. This is what you all signed up for. Accept it, and pay with your lives." After 13Z finished, the bullets turned, and went right into the men who shot them. The men were peppered with their own ammo, and died fairly quickly. 13Z only looked on in amusement. It only saw Terran as prey to be hunted at this point. Realizing this, 13Z realized the job was still not finished just yet. It looked over, and noticed the drop-ship the remaining people got on was some distance away. 13Z only smirked at this, thoroughly enjoying this hunt.

Narud and the few remaining survivors could hardly believe they got away from 13Z. Narud was still afraid of what was to come. He knew 13Z wasn't done yet, but was unsure if it would be able to reach them where they are now.

"Once we get some distance from the facility, where that hybrid is, we'll be able to leave the atmosphere safely." The pilot said.

"How did this drop-ship even get here anyway?" The scientist asked.

"When the alarms began to blare, an emergency SOS signal was sent almost immediately. I'm just glad our guy got here in time for us to escape. I wish I could say the same about the others." 1 of the 2 marines said.

"Hey, I was just passing through on way way to pick up a package from another facility nearby. You were only lucky you managed to live through that." The pilot added.

"…13Z isn't done yet." Narud said with a grim tone of voice. The others looked at him in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? There's no way that hybrid can reach us up he-" The second marine never finished, as something hit the drop-ship, causing it to lean forward a bit.

"What was that?!" The scientist yelled out in fear. Narud already knew what it was.

"13Z." He simply said.

"Are you bullshitting me?! There's no way that hybrid can fly!" The first marine shouted. But he was proven wrong, seeing the door next to the pilot's seat open, and the pilot himself thrown out said door. He managed to hit the autopilot before he was thrown out, so the drop-ship would remain in the sky. But that doesn't mean the people inside would be safe. 13Z came inside, and shut the door again. It walked to where the others were, and stared at them for a few minutes.

"Eat this, freak!" The second marine shouted, and started shooting.

"Stop!" The scientist shouted back at the marine, but it was too late. The first marine joined in, and began unloading his rifle at 13Z. But just like the guards, the bullets stopped only inches away from 13Z. This time, those bullets dropped to the ground after floating there for a bit in the 13Z's psionic grasp.

"Weaklings like you have no place amongst us. Death is too good for you, but there is nothing else to do to you, so I'll make this nice and painful." 13Z said. It used its psionic abilities, and lifted the marines in the air, and brought them close to itself.

"Burn in hell, you son of a bitch!" The first marine said in anger.

"Sorry, but that's your job." 13Z said smugly. Then, it revealed its claws and started cutting at the man's stomach, only allowing the claws to go an inch or 2 deep, and slowly getting deeper with each swipe. The man screamed in pain with each swipe, and 13Z was genuinely enjoying this. The other 3 watched in horror as the man was cut up, and 13Z had a crooked, hungry smirk on its face while doing so. Narud wasn't just horrified at this. He was also impressed with how strong 13Z turned out to be.

"Stop!" The second marine shouted, finally getting out of his fear-induced paralysis. 13Z stopped, and looked at the other marine.

"Very well. He'll just bleed to death in a few minutes anyway. But since you're so impatient to wait your turn, I guess I'll have to come up with something special for you." 13Z said. It put a hand up to its face, and stroked its chin in a mocking fashion. "Oh! I know!" 13Z added suddenly. It dropped the first marine from its psionic grasp, and extended its claws to their full length. Shorty after, it looked like electricity, that was strangely colored the same blood red as its eyes, started arching across those claws. Then, psi-blades of pure psionic energy formed around its hands. 13Z looked at those new psi-blades, and sent them into the marine's body. He screamed out in pain like his partner did. The searing pain now coursing through his body almost made him pass out right there.

Narud couldn't believe what he just witnessed. 13Z created those psi-blades without any need for armor, or technology. It was done simply through some slight creativity. The scientist was ready to jump out of the drop-ship, and plummet to the ground below. He thought it would be a better death then meeting an end because of 13Z. From the looks of things, jumping out was a mercy he just couldn't pass up. The scientist ran for the door by the pilot's seat, and opened it. He jumped out without a second though, and 13Z only shrugged, not caring what he just did. The man was going to die either way.

"What kind of monster are you?" The marine asked, only hanging on by a single thread.

"I'm a hybrid. Nothing less like you are." 13Z said. It ripped the psi-blades back out, and cut him in half with one of those blades. The 2 halves of the body dropped, and Narud was now all that was left of the facility and its people. 13Z turned to look at Narud, and stopped sustaining the psi-blades.

"What are you going to do to me?" Narud asked.

"…Nothing." 13Z said. "This was just for fun, really. To see what I could do, see the power I possessed, and the killing part was also kind of entertaining."

"But you're not going to kill me?" Narud asked.

"Why would I kill the man who created me in the first place? It would seem somewhat bitter-sweet, don't you think?" 13Z responded with its own question. This only confused Narud.

"Even so, now all data from the facility has been lost, along with any remnants of witnesses to the event, save for me of course." Narud said.

"Yeah. It's a small price to pay, but it was very well worth it. So, I'm supposed to be a leader of some kind? And kill this Zerg that looks a bit like me?" 13Z asked. Narud was shocked at first, but soon realized that 13Z was in his head.

"Yes. That is your purpose, and the reason you were made the way you are now." Narud stated. "You possess the DNA of Protoss, Zerg, Terran, and a fourth creature as well. Among the stands of Zerg DNA are bit of Changeling strands. They should allow you to change your appearance to look like a normal Terran, but nothing more I'm afraid."

"Good enough. So…" 13Z started, but began to change. Its tail wrapped around its waist like a belt, and its wings folded. The wings then went around its arms, 2 above the shoulders and 2 below, and formed an 'X' in the center of its chest. Finally, the skin began to change. The armor-like skin was soon repressed, and replaced with somewhat pale Terran skin with slight muscle underneath. The tail and wings faded in, and were completely concealed underneath the Terran skin. Its eyes had shifted to that of a Terran as well, but the irises remained blood red. Its hair was replaced from the Zerg version, similar to what Kerrigan has, to normal pitch black locks of actual hair. Its knees changed, and bent like that of a Terran. Finally, the mandibles bent down, and wrapped around its neck, concealed like its tail and its wings. All in all, 13Z looked like a normal human being now. It just needed some clothes now. "When do we start?" It asked, ready to kill at a moments notice.

 **(Finally got that out of the way. I feel a bit better now that this isn't sitting in the back of my mind anymore. Please leave me a review, and ask me any questions you may have. See you next time.)**


	2. Chapter 1

**(Ok. Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to where the story actually begins. I only own a copy of the game. All rights belong to Blizzard. I should have said that first time, but I forgot. Oops. Now, let's start near the beginning of WoL. If you already played and beat the campaign, you know where we are.)**

Chapter 1:

Jim Raynor and his rebellion on Mar Sara had begun. The people started rebelling against the Dominion now that they had some weapons with them. Meanwhile, Tychus Findlay had found Jim sitting in his usual hangout on the planet. For the past hour or so, they've been catching up on a few things while enjoying a few drinks.

"You really think these buyers of yours will pay us that much for just one artifact?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. They're getting desperate, Jimmy. They might pay us even more then that." Tychus said.

"Sounds like a good deal. All right. Where is it then?" Jim asked.

"Take a look." Tychus started, before using Jim's console to bring up surveillance on a Dominion outpost. Jim just looked at it for a few minutes.

"This old outpost don't look like anything special." Jim wasn't impressed.

"Keep your shirt on, son. Dominion engineers've been digging out here for months. See that crane? They're getting ready to move the artifact they found off-world." Tychus told Jim.

"Well I'll be damned." Now Jim was a bit impressed.

"See? You gotta have a little more faith, Jimmy." Tychus said, feeling a bit cocky.

"Alright. Time to give the Dominion a wake-up call. Let's smash that base and haul that baby out of there. Wait." Jim suddenly stopped.

"What is it this time?" Tychus asked this time.

"Something up on those cliffs, near the SCVs. Enhance." Jim pointed out. They now had a clear picture of what was up there. It was a ghost, looking at the artifact and waiting to shoot someone.

"Damn. Didn't even see him there. Good eye, Jim." Tychus commented.

"Thanks. Now what's he doing here?" Jim asked.

"Probably looking to take the artifact for himself." Tychus threw that answer out. The ghost then started sniping Dominion soldiers down there. Those men were dropping like flies every few seconds. Of course, they noticed him after the first few shots, and started to return the favor. The ghost took cover further up the cliff, and looked like he was cursing himself for that.

"Or maybe another enemy of the Dominion." Jim added.

"Sure you still want to go through with this?" Tychus asked.

"Yeah. Any enemy of Mengsk is a friend of mine. Now lets get down there and lend him a hand." Jim finished.

Tychus and Jim grabbed their gear, and got into the drop-ship as soon as possible. When they got there, they found other civilians trying to rebel against the Dominion setting up a base nearby. There was a second one that was closer, but they were under assault by the Dominion soldiers from the dig. Jim knew they would hold out for a while, but he would need to help them later. Not to mention that ghost who seemed to get cornered right next to the outpost. All in all, Jim needed to hurry.

As soon as they got off the drop-ship, the people there sided with Jim almost immediately. They knew about him, and what he did for them. It was also because of Jim's actions that these rebels were even here in the first place. They didn't have much. A Command Center, a Barracks for the infantry, a few marines, and some SCVs to gather needed resources.

"We'll need a lot more marines before we can take on the Dominion outpost. Train 'em up at the Barracks." Jim ordered the others. The marines went into the Barracks right away to prepare their comrades for battle. "SCVs, get gathering ASAP. We'll need all the minerals we can spare." The SCVs obeyed without hesitation. Tychus saw just how much these people looked up to Jim, but didn't really believe it at first.

"Damn, Jimmy. These guys here just love sucking up to ya, don't they?" Tychus teased a bit. Jim glared at him for that one.

"Don't get started with me, Tychus. Let's just get the job done." Jim said, and left it at that.

"Yeah, sure. I hope that artifact is really worth all that sweet pay." Tychus thought to himself aloud.

Training the marines wasn't a problem. Before anyone even knew it, there was a total of over 50 marines ready to attack. The problem, however, was treating injuries. Nobody was attacked yet, but they all knew the Dominion would come for them, and they had nothing to help when someone got hurt. Tychus didn't really care at all, but Jim was another story. Before Jim could order anyone to start training medics, Dominion soldiers attacked. Nobody saw it coming, and a few people had already been shot down. Tychus jumped at the chance to kill these 'Dominion dogs' as he had called them. He shot down 2 of them without really trying, and Jim quickly followed his lead, shooting down 4 more. There was 3 left, but they just dropped dead on the ground. Nobody shot them. Or rather, nobody they saw hurt them. Everyone looked at each other, wondering who killed the last 3.

"Did you do that, Jim?" Tychus asked.

"No. You?" Jim asked back.

"Nah man. I ain't that good a shot." Tychus answered. But they got their answer fairly soon.

A bright red light started glowing seemingly out of nowhere. Everyone pointed their guns at it, but it didn't move. It took the shape of a man, and the glow began to fade, leaving behind a suit. When it finished, everyone saw it was a ghost. Jim and Tychus saw it was the ghost the Dominion was shooting at not too long ago. He wore a standard suit, but didn't have a helmet, or a pack like the others. Instead, he wore a visor over his eyes, and instead of a pack, he had a magnetic plate to attach his rifle to. That way, it would always to close by. On his belt, he carried extra cartridges of ammo, and 2 pistols. He also had a chain, and some kind of pendent or something attached to his belt as well. Probably didn't feel like wearing it around his neck. He hid 2 knives just inside his boots, one of which was bloodied and held in his hand. The gloves he wore were fingerless for some reason. The plates of armor around his chest had formed an X in the center of his chest. Perhaps that was extra protection for his heart and lungs.

As for the man's actual appearance, he had pitch black hair that reached as low as his eyes. Whatever skin they could see was somewhat pale, as if he never saw the sun in his entire life. He was pretty skinny, yet not lacking in muscle. He was fairly young as well. From the looks of him, he may have been somewhere in his low to mid-20s. The visor covered his eyes at the time, so nobody knew what color his eyes were at the time. The way he carried himself was with confidence, or maybe he was just cocky. He wiped the blood off his knife, and looked directly at the guys he just managed to save, even if it was unintentional.

"Well, I try to get it on my own, and I nearly get killed. Then you guys come along, and draw attention away from me. Now, they're guarding the artifact with almost everything they have, and I can't get anywhere near it, or kill any of them without getting shot at. Everything considered, not one of my better days." The ghost said both irritatedly and somewhat casually.

"Pack it up, and get out of here, kid. You don't know what you're putting up with here." Tychus said. The ghost was fairly young, but there was something about him that screamed out 'I'm not weak.'

"I know that the Moebius Foundation hired me to take that artifact and bring it to them. And I know that I am not leaving here without it." The ghost said with a smart-ass tone of voice.

"Don't you start with me, boy. I've been in this business since before you were born." Tychus shot back.

"Yet here you are, letting the Dominion get the drop on you because you weren't paying attention for about… 2 seconds, I think. Even I know better then that, old man." The ghost insulted Tychus. He didn't take that well at all.

"What did you just call me?" Tychus asked.

"I called you 'old man.' Is your hearing already going out? I didn't think it would be that soon." The ghost continued. Some of the marines chuckled at this. "I am not looking forward to my years as a senior citizen, if I make it that long." Again, marines chuckled at this. Tychus put his finger on the trigger.

"I'll show you what this 'old man' can do to ya!" Tychus said in anger.

"Hold up, Tychus!" Jim said to his partner before he could get out of hand. Tychus lowered his gun, and took 1 step back. "Who are you?" Jim asked.

"… August Striker." The ghost introduced himself.

"And you're working for Moebius?" Jim asked another.

"Yeah. Why do you ask? You planning on selling it to them?" Striker asked.

"That was the plan. And we could use some help getting there. Interested?" Jim offered.

"… Yes I am. Sign me up, Raynor. I could use a hand." Striker said.

"Think you can keep up?" Tychus taunted.

"I should be asking you that, old man." Striker retaliated. Tychus was getting frustrated with this ghost already. Jim had a feeling they wouldn't really get along that well, since they weren't off to a good start in that regard.

"You gonna keep doing this, kid?" Tychus asked him.

"Yep. The look on your face is priceless." Striker said. "There's a rebel base directly to the west of our current position. It's under seige by the Dominion."

"Good! That'll keep the Dominion off our backs." Tychus said.

"Those folks need our help, Tychus. There's no way we're leaving 'em to rot!" Jim said.

"I can show you where they are if you want. I think I passed by them on the way here." Striker said. Jim looked back at him with a determined look.

"All right then. Lead the way." Jim told him. Striker nodded, grabbed the rifle on his back, and started running. Jim, Tychus, and a few marines followed close behind with the rest staying back at the base.

"You know, there's something about him." Tychus started.

"You mean other then the fact you 2 aren't getting along?" Jim said sarcastically.

"What I mean is that is seems like he's hiding something, Jimmy." Tychus added.

"We'll talk about it later, Tychus. Right now, there are people that needed our help." Jim said, essentially putting a pin in it for now. Tychus just nodded and silently agreed, but kept an eye on Striker. The men turned to the west, and started following an old, cracked road all the way up to a destroyed bridge.

"Damn! And the crane's just on the other side." Tychus complained.

"I've been here for a few days. The bridge has been out for a long time now. If we head south from here, we should meet up with the rebels in a few." Striker said.

"You know a bit more than you let on, kid." Tychus said with some suspicion in his voice. It was subtle, but Striker still picked up on it.

"You could at least try to be a bit more trusting, oldie. It's only a matter of time before those years of yours catch up to you." Striker retaliated, once again using the 'old man' thing against Tychus. He didn't appreciate that one bit.

"Kid, you're walking on thin ice." Tychus warned.

"And what are you gonna do about it? Lie down, take a nap, and utterly do nothing, you useless little senior citizen?" Striker said with a bitter tone of voice. It was clear he was losing patience with Tychus very quickly.

"That's it!" Tychus shouted before swinging his fist directly at Striker's face. He dodged, but Tychus wouldn't let him off the hook, and swung again. This time, Striker caught his fist, and held it there.

"Wow. You're really weak, you know that?" Striker mocked. Tychus growled, and threw his free fist once more, but Striker caught it as well after quickly dropping his rifle on the ground. Everyone couldn't really believe that Striker was blocking Tychus so easily. Then, metal started creaking. Tychus looked at his hands, and saw the suit beginning to give way underneath Striker's fingers.

"…What the hell are you?" Tychus asked in anger, but also with a hint of fear in there somewhere.

"You'll have your answers after we take that artifact. Now can we get along for another couple hours before we get back to this?" Striker asked. It was obvious he didn't want to offer peace, and just kick Tychus across the planet 20 times over, but he knew the objective came first. That was a good thing, but it was evident he was holding back quite a bit in doing so.

"…Fine." Tychus left it at that, and backed away once Striker let go of his suit. He looked at where Striker grabbed his fists, and saw the dented metal. It had even cracked in a couple spots as well. Tychus felt a brief moment of fear seep in when he saw that, and began to wonder what kind of force it took to do that kind of damage with only bare hands. Sometimes, bullets don't quite cut it in piercing marine armor. He was taken out of his thoughts when he noticed everyone was leaving without him. He quickly picked up the pace, and ran close to them again.

"Wait!" Striker suddenly said, stopping and raising his hand as a signal for the others to do so.

"What's up?" Jim asked.

"Up ahead. There's a few Dominion soldiers. We get too close, they'll shoot and ask questions never." Striker told them. Jim and the others looked where Striker was looking, and saw 3 marines armed and ready.

"Heh. We can get by those guys easy." Tychus said.

"Not without taking a few bullets. Let me handle them." Striker said.

"Think you can do it?" Jim asked.

"They won't know what hit them." Striker said back confidently. Jim took a minute to think about it.

"Alright, Striker. If you think you got this, then I won't stop you." Jim said.

"This won't take long." Striker said. Immediately after he said it, he took a moment and cloaked himself. Tychus was about ready to open a can of beer and enjoy to show.

The 3 marines were standing guard at the time. Their job was to make sure no rebels left the area, or anyone else to get in. They hadn't been there for very long, but that didn't stop them from trying to stave off boredom. They probably would have played some cards if they had any. They looked around, waiting for something, or rather, anything to happen. It didn't take long for their wishes to come true.

The first marine was shoved towards the others all of a sudden. He turned around, and pointed his gun to shoot, but didn't see anything. His finger was ready to pull the trigger, but he would never get his chance. His ammo clip just fell off his gun for no apparent reason. He looked down at it on the ground, and started to think he was being pranked. The other 2 marines were trying to hold in their laughter at their comrade's bad luck. He reached down to pick up the clip. As soon as he touched it, a loud gunshot rang in his ear. Then, he dropped dead almost instantly. The others lost their amusement as soon as the gunshot was heard. They looked at their friend, only to see blood coming out of his helmet. They started searching for where that shot came from. They looked up at the cliffs, over by the rebel camp, and down the pass where Jim and the others were unknowingly waiting for Striker to finish. Unfortunately, they didn't find anything. They turned back to face each other, but one of them got a large crack in his visor second after they turned. Blood began to run down the visor, and the man dropped just like the first one. The last marine was beginning to panic. He was spinning around almost the entire time, attempting to find out who killed his partners. He stopped when he felt something press against his helmet.

"You know… I expected you to run back to the dig site to warn the others. Guess I was wrong about that." He heard Striker say, but didn't know it was him. "Tell your guys I said 'hi' for me when you see them, OK?" Then, the final shot was taken. The last marine dropped.

Everyone who was waiting watched as the 3 marines were dead on the ground almost effortlessly. Striker being able to drop those marines like it was nothing was a scary thought for almost everyone there. Tychus was especially feeling ice cold fear crawl up and down his spine, since they weren't on the best terms right now.

"Damn! Remind me to get on his good side, Jimmy." Tychus said.

"I think that was his good side." Jim said.

"Wow. Didn't think it would be that easy for him." One marine said.

"Of course it was easy. They couldn't see him. You can't fight what you can't see." Tychus said, clearly frustrated, and a little jealous after hearing that. It started to get to him that Striker, a new ghost from out of nowhere, was basically doing all the work for him and laughed it off while he was at it. Not to mention that to Tychus, Striker seemed so cocky, he was like a child. But he managed to back up all his talk so far, and even messed up the arms on Tychus's armor. In short, Tychus really didn't like the guy, but was going to try and get along for the sake of getting paid.

Striker looked back at the others, and noticed how Tychus looked at him. Tychus showed everyone how much he currently disliked Striker with the look plastered on his face. He doesn't hate Striker, or doesn't hate him just yet. Striker returned the favor and glared right back at Tychus. This lasted for literally a minute before Striker turned to Jim, and started to ignore Tychus entirely.

"It's not far now. What do you say we get this done, and get outta here while we still can?" Striker asked. Jim and the others walked up to him, knowing it was clear now. Tychus took a good look at his handiwork, and began to feel slightly impressed with it. Quick, efficient, and nearly flawless, but that was only because Striker didn't really take it seriously near the end of it.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go!" Jim ordered. Striker went ahead once again, and the others followed close behind. Tychus fell behind admiring Striker's work for a moment, but quickly caught up.

They encountered no further resistance along the way. And just like Striker said, it wasn't far at all. They reached the rebel base, only to find the Dominion were attacking it with several marines. The rebels in the base were taking cover behind whatever was available. They were unable to do much of anything, seeing as they were outnumber at the time. Striker made the first move, and aimed carefully with his rifle. He lined it up with 2 marines standing right next to each other, and fired. He managed to kill them both with one bullet, and the marines dropped dead on the ground, now having a couple holes in their heads. The other Dominion soldiers noticed this, and started firing in Striker's direction. He and everyone there took cover behind some nearby rubble. The bullets were either stopped by the rubble, or grazed it. The rebels saw an opportunity, and started shooting again. They took down a few more of the Dominion marines. They turned their attention back to the rebels, but they couldn't get a single shot out this time. Jim, Tychus, Striker, and the marines that went with them charged in, and shot down every Dominion that was left standing. The rebels were about ready to shoot them too, until they saw Jim Raynor was with them.

"You guys sure are a welcome sight! We're with you. Just tell us where you want us." A man with the rebels said.

"Welcome aboard, boys." Jim said to them. They all walked into the rebel base, and everyone almost immediately stopped what they were doing to see who it was.

"It's Raynor's boys!" One civilian said out loud. After that, civilians started to swarm over them, asking if they needed to rest, a good meal, ammo, and other things. Striker just sat down on the ground, grabbed a rock off the ground, and started sharpening his knifes. People started to look at him, and wonder about his past. Striker didn't care at the time, and just found a moment to relax, since the Dominion weren't attacking at the time.

"I guess I can take this off for a few minutes." Striker said, thinking out loud. He then reached up, took off his visor, and let it rest on top of his head. Every now saw his eye color. The irises of his eyes were blood red. People began to make comments on him, and his appearance.

"Who is that guy?"

"What's with his eyes?"

"Why does Raynor have a ghost with him?"

"Those eyes are kinda scary."

"He's kinda hot."

"His hair is like a night without any stars. It ain't right!"

Those are only a few of what people said. It didn't last long, because when Jim walked past looking around their base, all their attention immediately went to him. The people of Mar Sara saw Jim as a hero. He had already done a lot for them, and was still planning on doing more. But for now, everyone was just getting some rest after putting up with everything that has happened.

Tychus, instead of resting up and getting a drink like he normally would, decided to confront Striker. He had a feeling it may not turn out that well, but he wasn't going to just sit back. He wanted to put Striker in his place, and make sure he didn't get in the way. Striker noticed Tychus walking towards him, but didn't stop sharpening his knife. He slowed down a bit, but kept on going.

"If you're going to try and convince me to get lost, don't even bother. I ain't leaving without that artifact." Striker said once Tychus was a few feet away.

"Listen, kid! If you think-" Tychus started, but Striker cut him off.

"If you think you can scare me with threats, then keep your mouth shut. I don't appreciate being assaulted for trying to lend a hand." Striker retaliated.

"How about you-" Once again, Tychus started, but Striker cut him off.

"I'm not packing up my shit and going home. I thought I made that clear! Clearly, your hearing is going out the window, oldie. I may be young, but that doesn't mean I can't kick your ass around. You may have experience, but so do I. That, and I made it obvious I'm stronger than you. There's nothing you can do to scare me, threaten me, or even blackmail me. I'm here to stay, so deal with it, or die already. Your choice, you useless bag of wrinkles and white hair." Striker finished. Tychus was furious at Striker now, and everyone in the rebel base saw it. They had also heard everything they said to each other, and couldn't believe how badly he burned Tychus.

Tychus had enough, and made a move to kick Striker where it would really hurt. When he was about to kick as hard as he could, he found his leg wouldn't move an inch. He tried to make his leg budge, but or whatever reason, it didn't listen to him anymore. Tychus looked down at Striker again, and saw him still sharpening his knife, not even caring that Tychus was right there trying to hurt him. Or rather, not even slightly worried. Everyone started to think Striker called Tychus out on a bluff, and won.

"Why can't I kick you?!" Tychus asked in frustration.

"…Because you're weak." Striker answered.

"What?!" Tychus shouted.

"You don't have what it takes. You may be stronger than most others in the sector, but that doesn't mean a thing if you're afraid. And right now, your actions are screaming out to the world that you are afraid of me, and what I can do. Well, let me tell you that there is no need for that fear, seeing as how we're on the same side. So give it a rest, calm down, and get ready to attack the Dominion dig site." Striker explained, not even looking at Tychus. Everyone was staring at the pair, still having a hard time believing what was happening. Tychus's foot lowered back down to the ground. Tychus stared in disbelief. Striker was right, and he knew it. He was afraid, just like Striker said.

"…What are you?" Tychus asked.

"A ghost. That's all I am." Striker said, now actually looking Tychus in the eye. He then stood up, and walked away to prepare for what was coming. Tychus only stood there for a bit, utterly frozen in place because of Striker's effect on him. Jim walked over to check up on them, but was surprised to find Tychus the way he was.

"Tychus!" Jim shouted to him right away. Tychus almost jumped when he heard Jim shout like that. He quickly shook off his shock, and turned to face Jim.

"Yeah?" Tychus asked.

"What's going on with you? I've never seen you like this before." Jim said.

\

"That kid is something else entirely." Tychus said.

"I know that, Tychus. But if it helps put Mengsk in his place, I'll take whatever help I can get." Jim declared with out doubt or hesitation in his voice.

"You sure that's a good idea, Jimmy? I mean I'm all for putting Mengsk down for good, but don't you think hiring someone like Striker might be pushing it just a little?" Tychus asked.

"Just bringing you along was pushing it." Jim said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess." Tychus said, not saying anything else on the subject.

"Alright. I think that's a long enough break for everyone. Let's get back to it, Raiders." Jim called out. Everyone went to grabbing their guns, and ammo right away. Striker walked up to Jim casually with his weapons ready.

"We finally taking it to them?" Striker asked.

"Yeah. That artifact is as good as ours now." Jim answered.

"Finally. I was getting bored sitting around doing nothing like that. Let's get this done so I can get paid." Striker said. It was very clear he was looking forward to this. The others who heard him had mixed feeling on how to interpret that. Some thought he enjoyed killing. Some believed he only wanted the money. The rest thought of him as a little crazy, but not in a bad way. Those people saw it as more of a search for something to get his blood pumping. Nobody knew what to expect of Striker, but that was mainly because nobody knew anything about him. Some people wanted to get to know him, while others wanted nothing to do with him whatsoever.

Jim, Tychus, Striker, and the marines that came with them were moving out of the camp. Some of the rebels from the camp have decided to join them in the fight ahead, and move along with them. Jim had quite a few followers cheering his name and supporting him. Tychus didn't get anything from the audience, other than a few good luck wishes. The rebels were given respect from their fellow soldiers as they moved out with Jim. Striker had varying responses to his leaving.

"Come back soon."

"I won't miss that guy."

"Call me!"

"Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Good riddance!"

That was only to name a few of the responses he had received. Most of these were either negative or neutral. Whatever remaining margin of positive responses he got were mostly from girls that were hoping to get him in bed with them. Striker thought that either he would have a good time if he decided to come back, or they should have asked him when they had the chance to. Most likely the latter of the 2 choices.

Everyone within the group moved out, and charged on ahead towards the Dominion dig site. They all went out pretty far from the rebel camp, before they all noticed someone standing there. Striker was about to shoot him, until he saw it was another civilian.

"Bad guys are that-a-way." The guy said, pointing in the direction everyone was already headed. Striker found it a bit annoying, but only sighed and moved forward with the others.

"Warning. Dominion Hellions are approaching…" Jim's adjutant warned him over his communicator. Considering that thing was hidden in his suit of armor, most people forgot he even had it there.

"Get ready, boys!" Jim warned. Seconds later, 4 Dominion Hellions came down the road. They began circling the group, and readied their flamethrowers to burn them all to death. Everyone started shooting at the Hellions at random, but hardly any of the shots actually hit them. They did do some significant damage though. Hellions aren't known for durability, but for speed.

The Hellions started firing upon the men, and a couple marines had already dropped in an attempt to put themselves out. Striker took his time aiming, and trying to intercept them. He hadn't fired a shot yet, but he was getting ready. Jim and Tychus were back to back, firing at everything related to the Dominion within sight. However, the Hellions continued circling and firing at them. It seemed as though the Dominion would win, until Striker fired his first shot. He managed to time it just right, and the bullet shot into one Hellion's cockpit, and killed the driver inside. The now run-a-way Hellion ran straight into the side of a cliff nearby, and blew up on impact. Jim, at that point, had managed to shoot out a couple tires off a couple of the Hellions. The people inside tried to brake as soon as they noticed something was wrong, but they lost control and crashed into their comrades. Just like that, the Hellions were down, but the men inside were far from done. Striker didn't want them to get away, so he ran over and jumped on top of one of them before he could get out. Striker then aimed, and shot the man right between the eyes. He moved on to another downed Hellion, and repeated those actions. The last 2 men managed to get out before Striker could reach them, but they didn't get far. Jim, Tychus, and the Raiders had them cornered, and shot them down all at once. Now that the way looked clear again, everyone began moving again.

"Is that it? I expected more out of those things. They weren't as fast as I had hoped." Striker said.

"We're not outta the woods yet. There's still a few more up ahead." Jim warned.

"Got it." Striker said.

"You look kinda eager, kid." Tychus said.

"Well, I need some excitement in my life. This just does it for me." Striker told him. Nobody replied once they heard that, and just kept moving. After about 2 minutes of moving forward, the group encountered a bunker sitting in the middle of the path.

"Alright, boys. Let's clear them out!" Jim ordered. Everyone, save for Tychus and Striker, lined up in front of Jim, and readied their weapons. They were forming a firing line.

"Be right back." Striker said, before he cloaked again. Jim wanted to stop him, but now that he couldn't see him, he wouldn't be able to. Pushing that thought aside, Jim focused on the bunker ahead of them again. He was ready to throw a grenade he packed for the trip just in case, but when he reached for it, he noticed it was gone. He looked around for it, thinking he may have dropped it, but it was nowhere to be seen. Shouting was heard, and men were scrambling out of the bunker. Jim began to wonder why, and got his answer soon as the bunker was blown to pieces. Now that the men were wide open, Jim gave the order.

"Bring them down!" Jim shouted. The men started shooting, and the Dominion soldiers dropped dead only after a minute after it started. Striker deactivated his cloak, and stood close to Jim.

"Thanks for the grenade, Jim. Made clearing that thing out all the easier. They should really get a few detectors around here." Striker said casually. Jim was ready to scold him for being reckless, but saw there wasn't a single detector nearby at the time.

"Nice job cleaning out that bunker, guys. Between your boys, my skills, and your stealth, we are gonna go a long way together." Tychus complimented.

"If I actually decide to stick around." Striker added, reminding them he most likely won't stay once he gets paid. In that sense, he's basically a mercenary.

"Maybe, but it would be good to have you around." Jim said.

"Yeah. I might stay, but I just haven't decided yet." Striker said.

"Don't worry about that now. Think on it when we've got the artifact." Jim told him.

"Ok." Striker said, leaving it at that.

Everyone started moving ahead again. Jim and Striker took the lead, and Tychus was directly behind. They finally came across the dig site. There were a few supply depots, 2 barracks, a factory, a command center, and several Dominion soldiers guarding the perimeter. And just like Striker said, there wasn't a single detector around. Jim started to wonder how they found him in the first place. It seemed like he could have just walked in, and took the artifact without anyone here noticing. However, his thoughts were cut short when one of the Dominion soldiers noticed the group heading towards them.

"It's Raynor, and his rebel friends. Kill them!" The marine who noticed them ordered. Every Dominion soldier around had heard this, and gathered to get in on the fight that was about to start. When it looked like everyone in the dig site had shown up, they finally started shooting, forcing Jim and his group to take cover behind whatever rock or cliff-side they could find that was big enough.

"Damn! I didn't think there would be this many of them!" Tychus shouted.

"I did say that I couldn't get anywhere near it once you guys started drawing attention, didn't I?" Striker said. "With this many troops, my stealth wouldn't have gotten me anywhere! And now that they've started shooting, I can't slip past them without getting filled with lead!" Striker added with irritation clear in his voice. "How are we supposed to take that artifact now?"

"If we can just get to their commander, that might just get them to surrender." Jim thought out loud.

"Good idea, but the problem is that we're pinned. How are we going to get past all of this?" Striker asked.

"That's your department, Striker." Jim said.

"What?"

"We'll draw their attention, while you slip into their command center, and capture or kill their commander." Jim explained.

"You sure about that? It's seems doable, but we're outnumbered here. We won't last long." Striker added.

"Then it's a good thing I called for reinforcements." Jim said with a smirk on his face.

"…When did you make the call?" Striker asked.

"Just a few minutes ago. They'll be here soon. Just gotta sit tight, and survive." Jim told Striker, but that didn't seem to ease Striker in the slightest.

"And until they get here?" He asked.

"We get to have some fun!" Tychus spoke up, and finally picked up the gun he's been carrying with him the entire time. Striker just stared at Tychus, wondering why he didn't touch that thing until just now. Jim started to wonder the same thing himself.

"You had that thing the whole time, and you didn't bother using it?!" Striker asked, anger beginning to set in.

"Pretty much. Didn't want to waste good ammo on useless bugs." Tychus said as casually as Striker could have. Striker only glared, his right eye twitching a little, and the blood red irises of his having a slight glow to them.

"When we get paid, you better use that money to get yourself some new synthetic body parts when I'm done with you!" Striker threatened, then cloaked.

"Well, better get busy then." Tychus said with that casual tone of voice again. He then decided to jump out of his hiding spot, and go wild. He started shooting everything related to the Dominion within his sight, and had laughed a little bit like a maniac. This caught The Dominion soldiers by surprise, so they couldn't save a lot of people from getting shot. However, that shock ran its course fairly quickly, and they went right back to business. Tychus jumped back into his spot, and waited for another opportunity. While they were so focused on him, the others weren't getting a lot of attention. Jim saw his own opportunity and did the same as Tychus without the maniacal laugh.

Once again, they were caught off guard, but this didn't last nearly as long as the first one, and Jim had to duck back as fast as he could. However, it still wasn't fast enough. He took 2 bullets in his right shoulder trying to get back. Tychus seemed to be fine, but nobody could move from their spots now. Tychus and Jim were forced to stay back there, but they refuse to go down without a fight. They began to shoot back from their hiding spots, occasionally peaking to try and get a good shot in. They managed to tale down a few that way, but not enough to stop this onslaught. The others started to follow their lead, and began doing the same. Men from both sides began to drop like flies. It seemed like there wasn't an end. However, a few minutes later, Jim's reinforcements came in.

About another 30 men came running in, and took cover as soon as they could to avoid getting shot right in the beginning. They all started fighting back against the Dominion as hard as they could, shooting as many bullets as they could spare. The fight was even, neither side gaining an advantage over the other. But now, Dominion soldiers were starting to drop again. Jim knew what that meant, and took another peak. He saw Striker had stopped his cloak, and started shooting from behind the lines with both pistols in his hands. The Dominion caught on quickly, and started shooting in his direction. Striker was forced to take cover behind a supply depot. That didn't stop him from fighting back.

Striker felt the fight was going on for too long. He decided to just end it. He cloaked one more time, and ran directly into the Dominion line. He started shooting them at point blank range, and they didn't even know where he was. Those soldiers dropped one after another, and Striker didn't stop. When the last soldiers fell down dead, Striker's energy had ran out, and his cloak deactivated for the last time that day.

Everyone was panting. Exhaustion was beginning to set in. Although it was mostly shot being fired, the adrenaline they all had pumping through them was starting to go. Without it, the results were now catching up to them. Jim and Tychus were still standing, since they had more experience with this sort of thing. The others wanted to drop down on the ground, and take a nap. Striker was with Jim and Tychus, and still managed to stay standing.

"Crane controls accessed. Decrypting security overrides. Crane control established." The adjutant said over Jim's communicator. Tychus also heard this, since he was standing next to Jim at the time.

"Beautiful, now let's real that sucker in and get the hell outta here!" Tychus said, relieved for 2 reason. The first being that he had some fun. The second being he was going to get his pay after all.

"Couldn't agree more. Let's get going so we can get paid already. I'm starting to think this artifact may not be worth it." Striker complained a little. The last sentence was mumbled, so nobody really heard it.

"Way ahead of you, Striker. I got a drop-ship nearby. Let's grab the artifact, and head out." Jim mentioned.

"So who's gonna carry that thing?" Striker asked jokingly. Tychus and Jim let a chuckle out when they heard that, but nothing more.

"We'll handle that part. It's the least we could do for Raynor helping us out the way he did." One of the rebel marines said.

"Thanks. We could use a few extra hands." Jim said. From there, the artifact was pulled out on the crane.

2 hours later

Jim, Tychus, and Striker were all sitting in the bar Jim normally hangs out in during his stay here on Mar Sara. Striker decided to stick with them until he got his paycheck in person. Tychus still didn't like the guy anywhere near him, but Jim stayed between them as insurance. It was the best way to make sure nobody killed each other. Tychus still had his armor on, and Striker still wore his suit. Of course, Striker's suit was basically skin-tight, so it does make sense he would keep it on. As for Tychus, his reason were his own.

So far, all they were doing was sitting around enjoying a few drinks. Striker may look lightweight, but he drank more than either Jim or Tychus. They were a bit surprised to see just many shots he had, but left it alone. They assumed he just knew how to hold his drinks. The TV was on, but there nothing but static at the time. It was a little annoying, but they didn't let it bother them. However, the static suddenly stopped, and the UNN news came on.

"Thanks for staying with us. Let's go now to Kate Lockwell with an update on Jim Raynor's violent uprising." The reporter, Donny Vermillion, said.

"Thanks, Donny. Raynor's clearly widening his list of targets. He's attacked a Dominion archaeological dig, and possibly seized a dangerous alien artifact." Kate Lockwell started with her report.

"Emperor Mengsk spoke on this subject earlier today." Donny added on his side. The UNN news went straight to an interview with Emperor Mengsk.

"There's no telling what kind of havoc these supposedly innocuous relics might wreak upon our worlds. Anyone found in possession of these items will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law." Mengsk said in his interview.

"Look on the bright side, partner. You're a wanted man either way." Tychus said, trying to cheer up Jim a bit.

"Thanks, Tychus." Jim said sarcastically. The UNN news went back to Donny and Kate.

"Shocking, Kate. I imagine civilian casualties were high as a result of Raynor's terrorist actions." Donny said, clearly siding with Mengsk as he always does.

"Actually, the only civilian deaths appear to be collateral damage from overzealous Dominion Security Forc-" Kate went on in her report, but Donny cut her off.

"Thanks, Kate! You heard it here first – Jim Raynor, killing women and children on Mar Sara." Donny finished. The Unn news stopped broadcasting, and the TV screen went back to its static. Striker found the remote, and muted it.

"I swear, Kate's the only one around who actually want to tell the truth." Striker complained.

"Yeah, well…It's not like she can do much when everyone else is afraid of Mengsk." Jim commented.

"I guess. I just wish they'd stop pulling that kind of shit." Striker added.

"You and me both." Jim said. They all shared another chuckle together, and filled up their cups again. Jim and Tychus drank right away, grabbed a couple cigars, and stood up.

"You guys going for a smoke?" Striker asked.

"Yeah. We'll be right outside." Jim said.

"Unless you want some." Tychus said, offering an extra cigar to Striker.

"I don't need that shit in my chest. Do what you want, but I don't smoke." Striker told them.

"Suit yourself." Tychus said, just brushing it off.

"Leave some drinks for us." Jim said jokingly. Striker chuckled.

"No promises." Striker told them just before they went out the door. Once the door closed, Striker closed his eyes for a minute. When they opened. They resembled a Zergling's eye. No white in them at all, glowing blood red filling every part, and a vertical slit for the pupils in the middle. He then stood up, walked over to a nearby wall, and took the picture of Kerrigan pinned to it.

"Just you wait, Raynor. Once all the artifacts are collected, you and your girlfriend here will be some of the first to die. Besides, if the infamous Queen of Blades can put up a fight, I'll make you watch as she suffers in more ways than one. I wonder how much she'll be able to take once I get my hands on her." Striker said to no one in particular. He then tossed the picture in the air, let it float for a couple seconds, and made his move. His bottom jaw split in half, and a Hydralisk spine flew out, and hit Kerrigan right between the eyes on the picture. Then, the picture was back on the wall where Striker had grabbed it. His jaw fixed itself back into one piece, and Striker sat back down to finish the last of his drink. "Just the thought of her squirming in pain beneath me as I slowly cut her into pieces makes it hard to wait any longer than I already have."

 **(Finally. There you go. Think you can put 2 and 2 together? Lol. I'm only kidding. Figures he'd get involved with the artifacts, huh? Well, let me know what you think, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Any questions you got, I'll see if I can answer them.**

 **LordGhostStriker - i didn't steal part of your name if that's what you're thinking. This has been in the back of my head for over a year, so please don't think that. That, and beating people like that isn't him.**

 **akraccess – You know where it's at right now. I'm glad you like what I'm doing. Influence-wise, not that much in the beginning, but more later on. He will also have his own adventures from time to time.**

 **See you all next time.)**


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